Scotland's freezing weather is set to come to an end on this week to be replaced with torrential rainfall and gusty winds as cold Arctic air subsides.
That's according to the Met Office, as the forecaster has issued a weather alert for rainfall lasting from midnight on Thursday until 3pm that afternoon, warning people that it may lead to potential flooding and "difficult" travel conditions.
There's also still a snow warning in place for certain areas until early Thursday morning, with spells of the white stuff likely to fall on Wednesday afternoon and evening and mostly affecting high-ground areas as well as Shetland and Orkney.
After the final flurries of snowfall, conditions will become milder, resulting in the wetter and windier weather hitting.
The ongoing cold snap will subside on Thursday for many areas of Scotland, except for the north where you might still find it cold until the weekend, and a spell of heavy rain and strong gusts will move in from the west.
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Helen Caughey said: "The transition to milder air in the second half of the week might be welcome for some, but it brings with it wet and windy conditions, as low pressure moves in from the west, which will bring some heavy and persistent rain to some western and northern areas, as well as some gusty winds, especially for exposed coastal areas."
The Met Office's alert for rain comes into force at midnight on Thursday, March 16, and will last until 3pm that afternoon. It's currently covering a wide range of areas within Strathclyde, as well as Stirling, Dumfries and the Scottish Borders.
During this time it's possible that up to 100mm of rain may fall in the worst affected areas, which could result in travel chaos caused by poor visibility. To help stay safe in these poor conditions, Stein Connolly from Transport Scotland has issued some advice.
He said: "Large parts of Scotland will continue to see challenging weather over the next few days, so it’s important that travellers keep up to date on road conditions and plan their journeys.
"You should look at your route in advance, drive to the conditions and follow any Police Scotland travel advice that’s in place. There may be disruption on other modes of transport, so you should check with your operators before setting off if you’re planning to travel by rail, ferry or air."
Some parts of Scotland aren't quite out of the woods yet in terms of snow either, as there's still a Met Office alert in place for certain areas until 4am on Thursday, March 16.
This may cause some disruption, especially over higher transport routes, but the flurries of snow expected on Wednesday afternoon and early will turn into rain the following day thanks to the milder conditions settling in.
This warning covers the likes of Central, Tayside & Fife, Grampian, Highlands, the Borders and Strathclyde.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - sign up to our daily newsletter here .
